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COMPILED BY ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Torah By
Phone
T
he Torah Communica-
tions Network of Brook-
lyn has a new service
that allows anyone to learn a
page a day of Torah, as well
as study other subjects of Jew-
ish interest, simply by picking
up the phone.
Dial-a-Daf and Dial-a-Shi-
ur are available in English
and Yiddish. (Mishnah-on-
the-Phone is offered in Eng-
lish only.) Topics include Holo-
caust studies, tales of
tzadikim and Jewish history.
A touchtone phone is re-
quired for the TorahPhone.
Council Report Documents
Polish Jewish Communities
M
ost of the more than
1,000 remaining syn-
agogues, cemeteries
and other historic Jewish sites
throughout Poland are in ru-
ins, according to a new survey
published by the Jewish Her-
itage Council of the World
Monuments Fund.
Sponsored by the U.S.
Commission for the Preser-
vation of America's Heritage
Abroad, the report considered
300 synagogues and 1,000
cemeteries in Lodz, Krakow
and Warsaw, as well as small-
er cities and towns. It notes
sites that can be chosen for
restoration based on their
artistic, religious and historic
importance; the condition of a
specific site; and the receptiv-
ity of the local government
and community to restoration
and future maintenance.
The Jewish Heritage Coun-
cil's first restoration project is
the Tempel Synagogue in
Krakow.
"Approximately 80 percent
of U.S. Jews have ancestors
from Poland and Eastern and
Looking At Windows
nation of Conservative women
rabbis.
The newsletter also fea-
tures book reviews, opinion
pieces and interviews.
Mabat is an initia-
tive of the AJCom-
mittee's Institute on
American Jewish-Is-
rael Relations and
will be published six
ON AMERICAN JEWRY AND ISRAEL-DIASPORA RELATIONS
times a year.
For information, contact the
Distributed in Israel and
AJCornmittee, 165 E. 56th St.,
the United States, Mabat
(Windows) in its most recent ' New York, NY 10022.
issue discussed the
peace treaty signed by
Yitzhak Shamir and
Yassir Arafat, Steven
Spielberg's Schindler's
List and the 10th an-
lam a"rnK rani "JD
niversary of the ordi-
e American Jewish Com-
mittee is publishing a new
pamphlet that considers
key issues relating to Israel-
Diaspora relations.
WI
OWS
Central Europe," said Coun-
cil Chairman Ronald Lauder.
"Each location surveyed is an
integral part of America's her-
itage."
For a copy of the report,
which costs $12.50, contact
Felicia Mayro at the World
Monuments Fund, (212) 517-
9367.
Cagadiait ?apex 'Refute
`Ktemiaitic Jettil ► k' Ad6
T
he Toronto Star has
pledged not to print any
advertisements from re-
ligious groups that are specif-
ically directed to Jews.
According to a report in the
Canadian Jewish News, the
decision followed the Star's
printing last September of an
ad from a group considering
itself "Messianic Jews." The
ad, announcing High Holy
Day services at Beth Sar
Shalom, included a Star of
David and ran in English, He-
brew and Russian.
Canadian Jewish groups
quickly protested the ad. In a
letter to the Star, Canadian
Jewish Congress' Ontario re-
gion chairwoman Gerda
Frieberg labeled the congre-
gation "a Christian mission-
ary organization whose aim is
to convert Jews to Christiani-
ty. This church should not be
confused with anything Jew-
ish."
Membership subscription
is $8 a month, with a onetime
$36 registration fee. For a
sample shiur (lesson), call
(718) 435-3492. To subscribe
or for further information, con-
tact the Torah Communica-
tions Network, 1618 43rd St.,
Brooklyn, NY 11204, (718)
436-4999.
One Man's Trash Is
Baby Jane's Treasure
I
s there anyone in this entire
world who wouldn't give his
right arm for a framed piece
of a hideous ceramic floor lamp
from the home of Roseanne
and Tom Arnold?
The question is only where
to find it.
The answer is Baby Jane of
Hollywood.
Baby Jane, a celebrity mem-
orabilia shop, got its big break
in celebrity trash during the
recent earthquake in Califor-
nia. Many homes of Hollywood
stars were affected by the
quake, and of course big, rich
stars don't need to repair all
that broken old junk when
they can simply throw it away
and buy new stuff.
Baby Jane owners Roy
Windham and Charles Moniz
quickly realized, however, that
there was gold in them thar
garbage cans. They decided to
take the broken treasures
from the stars' trash, frame
them and then sell them, with
half the profits going to earth-
quake relief.
Among their treasures are
numerous items from Jewish
stars, including Barbra
Streisand and Bette Midler.
"We had a green planter pot
and a black-glass perfume of
Bette Midler's," Mr. Windham
said. "But those sold."
Most of Ms. Streisand's
trash — including a broken
champagne bottle, cups and a
terra cotta planter — is gone,
too. "We still have some frag-
ments from her walls, though,"
Mr. Windham said.
There's still plenty of the
Arnolds' ceramic floor lamp
left, but Mr. Windham says it's
a pretty strange item.
"One of her neighbors called
and told us, There's a big bro-
ken lamp out on Roseanne's
street in the trash. Is that the
kind of thing you want?' " Mr.
Windham recalled.
It was, of course.
"It's about six feet, really
tacky," he said. "They
(Roseanne and Tom) had tak-
en crayons and drawn spider
webs all over it."
Bette Midler